To Sing From The Heart
by Heart of Mako
Summary: During a storm, Bella Hartley escapes from a bus accident lucky to be alive, and stumbles across David's doorstep. With nowhere to go, Bella stays with him and discovers the Ocean Cafe where Sirena sings every day. They become friends and even sing songs as a duet, but Bella's new attachment to David creates tension, jealousy and broken hearts. And David does not want to choose!
1. Chapter 1

**a/n: Hi! This is just a story I've been writing for a while, wondering if Sirena and Bella would meet, as they are the two singing mermaids! How about a love triangle, with David as the meat in the sandwich? **

**Note: Sirena will not be present in the first few chapters. Most of the story is about Bella's perspective.**

Bella brushed back a strand of her light brown hair and traced her finger across the smooth foggy window of the bus, her other hand busy texting Will before placing the phone in her bag and resting her hands on her lap.

The bus drove through the horrendous rain, the pattering drops on the windows emphasizing the emptiness of the vehicle that Bella sat in, alone.

Thunder and lightning boomed and flashed in the clouded sky, making a noise as pleasant as a song written by Nate crashing on the bus roof above Bella's head.

She was being driven to the airport where she would be going on the plane all the way to Ireland, for a visit to her old relatives. Will however, was studying and training to become a professional free diver, which left Bella on her own as Cleo had gone to America to stay with Lewis a while and Rikki was going on vacation ("In WINTER?!" Cleo had exclaimed) and the house Emma had moved to after her trip was quite a long way away from the Coast.

"Looks like I'm going to have to be a mermaid on my own now." Bella said to herself aloud, knowing the bus driver wouldn't be able to hear her because of the noise the rain was making.

She glanced down again at her phone, and texted Will another message.

**- Hey, just wnted 2 tel u! xxx**

Normally Will would reply right away, but he didn't this time. Bella sighed, and stretched back in her seat, feeling tired already. A flashing sign that she would probably be absolutely dead after the long plane ride which would picture her slumped in an uncomfortable chair for days and nights without a relaxing bath with her tail or the homemade cookies her mother used to bake before Bella went to bed.

Ten minutes passed, and the bus continued rumbling through the storm, with muddy rainwater nearly captivating the bus when it sprayed out from under the wheels that slid uncontrollably on the road. That's right, uncontrollable.

"Hold on!" The bus driver yelled to her, struggling with the brakes as the bus swerved and slid in awkward directions on the slippery road. Bella screamed as the bus spun around, driving almost on it's own, straight for the rocky creek next to the sidewalk.

Bella clutched her suitcase and ducked down, shutting her eyes just as the bus crashed into a nearby pole and knocked the bus driver unconscious, and without any control, the bus fell onto it's side, throwing Bella across her luggage and cutting herself on broken glass.

Unconsciousness wavered over her for a few moments, as all her things spilled out of her bag and inflicted bruises on her head and shoulders, and the rain poured in on her from the broken windows.

Bella lay there motionless, too shocked to move a muscle, and partly scared she had a broken bone. But she knew she had to get up fast, because the rain was soaking her from head to toe, and with people already running to the wrecked bus, she'd be exposed in a matter of seconds.

Bella pushed herself to her feet, regaining full consciousness and running as fast as she'd ever run before. A house blurred in front of her vision as she sprinted across the road, through the storm.

Pain lurched in her left arm and her right knee, along with the deep scrapes and bruises on the rest of her body that were insulted by the pounding rain on her skin.

Her hair now completely drenched and slick on the sides of her face, Bella ran up the driveway of the house and saw the door open ahead of her. With the last bit of energy she had, she leapt into the doorway and transformed, her back and her tail hitting the floor painfully, and slap, she blacked out again.


	2. Chapter 2

XxXxX

All David saw in his doorway was a girl completely soaked with rain, on the floor, wearing a bulky mermaid costume. Was it even a costume? It didn't look like any material he knew of. The scales and fluke looked just like that of a real fish.

He swallowed hard, looking down at her in astonishment. Rain still pattered on the edge of her fin through the open door, so he ran over and closed it behind him.

David had been home alone for the past hour after his parents had gone out, and he'd only just opened the door to check if they were back, when this severely injured girl had stumbled in and fell on the floor.

"Oh my gosh." he whispered under his breath, bending down to check her pulse. She wasn't dead, thank goodness. He bent down and had a go at lifting her up to put her on the sofa, but estimated her tail must have weighed at least 30 kgs, after a few completely failed attempts.

So David ran to the other room and grabbed a blanket, and laid it on her before slipping his phone out of his pocket and dialing the emergency number. Just before he pressed call, the girl's eyes opened and she cried out, slapping him with her surprisingly strong tail.

He jumped back as she whipped the blanket across her tail, drying it effectively and lying there still while her legs and clothes reappeared out of nowhere.

David dropped his phone and it shattered on the floor as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"How did you... What are you..."

The girl stood up slowly, wincing as her injuries lurched in pain.

"I don't need your help, I can..." she stopped speaking as David ran to her and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her to his sofa and laying her down on a bunch of pillows.

"What's your name?" he asked her carefully, looking at her almost fearfully.

"Bella." she answered weakly, shaking her head and flinching at the glass of water he offered her.

"Bella." David repeated, frowning at her injuries. "Bella, what happened to you?"

"No way am I telling you anything." Bella shot back. "You'll expose me to the whole world now, I just know you will."

David flinched. "I don't mean... that." he said quickly. "I'm David. I just want to know if you're okay, injury wise. Then I can just let you go, without telling anyone, I promise."

"Well, I can't go anywhere, now." Bella groaned, sensing he wasn't a threat anymore. "I just escaped from a bus crash."

"What?"

"No, I'm not lying! I have the broken bones to prove it!" she held out her left arm and pulled it back again, crying out in pain.

"Be careful! Oh my gosh, you need to stay here the night. No way can I let you go like this." David rethought his decisions.

"Thank you." she replied weakly. "Sorry for all the trouble. Just... don't take me to a hospital, no matter what, okay? Things could get really bad."

"I understand. Oh, let me help you up!"

He bent down but jumped back in surprise when Bella's tail transformed back into legs, and jeans and a t-shirt with a picture of a guitar on it appeared on her.

She stood up gingerly, reluctantly leaning on his shoulder as he lead her to the spare room. When they got there, she sat down on the bed and rubbed her arm.

"I don't think it's too bad." she muttered. "If I'm lucky, it might heal without me having to do anything."

"Nonsense." David responded. "I'll get you a scarf or something to use as a sling."

Bella only had the energy to collapse on the bed as David opened a dusty drawer and raked through piles of winter clothing.

"Here." he said, pulling out a blue scarf and sitting down on the bed next to her to help tie it on her and hold her arm.

"Thanks." Bella said, slipping off her shoes and placing them under the bed. "Are you sure it's convenient that I -"

"It's fine." David reassured her. "Tomorrow will be better for all the thinking and deciding. Tonight you just have to rest. My parents will be back soon, and they won't mind you're here."

"Okay. If you say so." Bella groaned.

"Night." David said, getting up and switching the light off. He glanced at her one last time, an anxious look in his eyes, before he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door.

Bella slipped into the spare pajamas he'd left her and then got into the bed, more tired than she'd ever been in her life.

Her head hit the pillow and she dozed off in seconds, plunging straight into a dream.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry I've taken so long to update, just been very... *Charlotte voice* BUSY BUSY BUSY!**

**Rikki: Well don't let us hold you up then! *sarcastic***

* * *

_"Will, I need help! I'm at a stranger's house and I have no idea where I am, what will happen or how I'll get home. My bus crashed and I escaped. I have a broken arm. I need you!"_

_Will looks down, shaking his head. "I have to stay. I can't help you."_

_"Why? Don't you love me anymore?"_

_He looks troubled and continues staring down at the ground. "I have to do more training."_

_"No! What about me?"_

_"Sorry Bella. I have to do this. For my future. I can't help you. You aren't important to me anymore."_

_Bella cries and falls to the ground._

_"Are you breaking up with me?"_

_"Sorry, Bella."_

Bella woke up with a gasp, and burst into tears.

"Just a dream, Bella." she said aloud, shaking. "Get a hold of yourself."

The door opened with a creak, and David peeked in.

"You're awake! You slept in late. It's 10am."

"Ohh." that was all Bella could say.

David smiled at her and pushed open the door, entering the room holding a tray. Pancakes and orange juice.

"Oh, my gosh. You really didn't have to!"

"No problem." David shrugged, still smiling. He placed the breakfast on her lap and she sat up, holding it carefully so that it wouldn't spill everywhere.

Bella looked at him in fascination, for the first time recognizing that he was a very caring person.

"Well, thank you, David." she replied, reflecting his smile back at him and feeling a lot better.

"No problem." he said. "But... I do want to know something."

Bella froze, her smile disappearing. Guilt built up inside David.

"Sorry, I -"

"Mermaid." said Bella flatly.

"A what?"

"A mermaid." Bella repeated. "That's what I am."

"But how..." David trailed off, sitting on the end of the bed.

"Long story." Bella said. "But I can do this." she motioned her hand, twisting her fingers around.

David watched her in confusion, and gasped when the juice in the glass hardened, becoming a jelly like substance.

"No way!"

Bella's face was serious.

"You can't. Tell. Anyone."

"I won't, I swear!" David raised his arms. "I mean, you could kill me, couldn't you? Using that power on me."

"In a lot of possibilities." Bella agreed. "But I'm not an evil mermaid. And, i'm actually just a human. With a human life. So you can just treat me normally, thanks very much."

"Sure." David said. "And you can stay here as long as you like. I told my mother and she's fine."

"What kind of mother would let you invite an injured girl from a bus crash with a secret on the edge of a cliff from another part of town to stay at your house?"

"She's just easy going and kind, and if you wanted to know, it took me an hour to persuade her to let you stay. And if you'd like to know about my older brother, Joe, all he thinks is that I'm trying to get a girlfriend. Excuse his stupid remarks if you see him."

"Oh." Bella nodded. "Her own mother would be frantic right now, wondering why she never arrived at her relatives' house.

David nodded absentmindedly and went over to open a cupboard. He pulled out a green top and some white jeans that looked roughly Bella's size. "Here, you can wear some of my sister's clothes. She grew out of these last year, and you look the same size."

Bella accepted the clothes gratefully and laid them on the bed. "Do you mind if I-"

"Sure." David snapped out of his daydream and headed for the door. He smiled at her one last time before leaving the room and closing it behind him.

Bella exhaled deeply and slipped out of bed. Running her fingers through her tangled hair, she made the bed hastily and scooped up David's sister's clothes.

Then she dragged herself into the connected bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair looked similar to a bird's nest, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She sighed and turned on the water in the bathtub.

David would want to know why she was bathing instead of showering but Bella decided he'd probably figure it out later.

She filled the tub with steaming hot water and then slowly undressed. Bella lowered herself into the water and waited the 10 seconds for her transformation. When it happened, she relaxed and lay there for a few moments before sitting up and turning over.

Bella breathed in through her nose and held it before dunking her face into the water. She opened her eyes underwater and stared at the bottom of the white bathtub.

After about 5 minutes, Bella washed her hair, scrubbed the dirt off her tail until her scales were covered in soapsuds, rinsed, and then lifted herself out of the tub, pulling the plug out and putting it on the side.

She sat on the floor in her tail drying herself with a towel, and she finally got her legs back so she stood up and put on David's sister's clothes.

Then she stepped back into the bedroom, closing the bathroom door behind her. The plate of pancakes and the glass of orange jelly remained there, untouched. Bella decided she didn't feel that hungry, in fact, last night's dream had stolen her appetite. Did Will still care?

Bella brushed her hair out of her face, braiding it messily until all her hair was out of her face; a long uneven plait down her back.

Sighing again, she set the breakfast aside from the bed and pulled the sheets and duvet up to the pillows, and exhausted, pulled the curtains on the window apart.

Sunlight streamed through the room, and Bella looked out through the glass, into a town she didn't know. This place seemed like a similar town to her own, but then again, she couldn't recognize any of it.

Bella glanced back to the desk, where her phone lay, silent. David had probably taken it out of her ruined clothes from the previous night and put it there for her. Wondering whether it would have stopped working from rainwater or be broken from her fall, Bella picked it up in her hands and flipped it open.

She pressed the on button, and the screen flashed white and then with the logo of the company that sold the phone.

"Yes." Bella whispered under her breath, plopping down on the bed with the phone in her hands, her eyes glued to the loading screen.

Sure enough, it worked.

The first thing Bella did was begin texting Will. Ignoring the large amount of missed calls and messages from her parents and relatives, even one from Cleo, she texted her boyfriend, 'Will, i need u 2 answer NOW PLEASE' she sent it.

She hesitated, staring at the screen without blinking. 5 minutes passed, Will did not reply. "Fine then." Bella said. She pressed the call button.

The ringing went on for an eternity, constantly repeating in Bella's ears, and right when she was considering throwing the phone back on the desk, Will answered the call.

"Will!" Bella cried into the phone, using two hands to cup it against her face.

"Oh, Bella. It's you." Will sounded almost bored. Bella frowned as she listened to the background of his voice, a girl saying "COME ON WILL! Get off your phone! You and me have a lot to do this morning!" Bella felt a wave of betrayal. The girl's voice sounded a little like Sophie's, but more sickly and high pitched, the popular-snobby-girl kind.

"Listen Bella, I have to go -"

Bella cut Will off, her own voice raising in anger. "You know what? Maybe I don't need your help. Whatever you're doing over there, whoever you're with, I don't care any more! Because you don't care about me anymore. Fine! Cheat on me. You'll be surprised what I can get up to when you're not around!"

Before Will could reply, Bella ended the call and shoved the phone in a drawer under the desk. Now was her time to shut Will out, and focus on what was happening now.

Bella proceeded to go down the stairs to greet David.

XxXxX


	4. Chapter 4

XxXxX

Coming down the stairs was partly great, and partly awful.

David's mother had straight blonde hair tied back, and she looked quite young to be a mother. David's father was tall, and had slightly darker skin than his wife and brown curly hair that looked just like David's.

David sat at the end of the table, chatting to his sister who looked like her mother and also looked just a year or so older than David. His brother Joe that he mentioned, wasn't there.

"Hey Bella!" David smiled at her. His family all seemed to share that friendly, welcoming vibe.

"Morning Bella." said his sister, who's name was Cassie.

"Hello Bella." said David's parents in unison.

"So this is Bella!" this voice came from a less of a welcoming vibe, this was not in fact a greeting, it was a rude remark. Bella had a feeling this was Joe.

Joe came into the room, smirking not just at Bella but at David. He playfully punched David's arm and approached Bella, looking her up and down.

"Hey... baby." he was obviously somewhat impressed by how she looked. He nodded at her in surprising interest. He glanced back at David with a mocking grin. "Alright Dave, it's down to this chick and Sirena. And if you'd just listen to some o my advice, maybe you could -"

"Shut up!" David snapped. "Don't even think about bringing Sirena into this! And I don't have a crush on anyone! Least of all Bella! She's just coming to stay because she has nowhere else to go."

Bella felt her cheeks heat up and she pretended to look at a picture on the wall.

"Don't try to hide it. I know you and Sirena are dating!" Joe continued to sneer. "And I never thought of you as a cheater! Poor Bella. Maybe she can come to her senses and pay some more attention to me. After all, I really am the better looking brother."

"Joe!" David's mother scolded.

"Go to work." said David's dad. "You're late."

Joe scoffed and retreated from the scene, swinging open the front door and slamming it behind him before driving away in his van.

"Sorry." David said to Bella apologetically.

"No problem." Bella muttered, sitting down at the table with him and putting her head in her hands.

"So, Bella." David's mother said. "What's your story? Where are you from? Do you need a phone to call your family?"

"That would be great, thanks." Bella responded. The woman beamed at her and jumped up to grab the phone.

"So, what do your parents do?" David's father asked.

"They work in hotel management." Bella replied. "But we move all the time when my dad finds new jobs."

"Ah." David's dad nodded. "What's your full name?"

"Isabella Jessica Hartley." Bella replied. "But people just call me Bella."

"Hartley..." David's father said thoughtfully. "I think I know someone named Ian Hartley."

Bella's eyes lit up. "That's my uncle!" she exclaimed. "And he works with my father. Do you know Alexander Hartley?"

David's dad shook his head, frowning. "No. But I can look for him. If he works with Ian, I'm sure to track him down."

"Great!" Bella said excitedly.

David's mother returned to the room holding the phone. "Do you know your parents' numbers?"

Bella told her the number, and then David finished his breakfast and was standing up.

"I'm going to work." he said to Bella. "I work at a really nice cafe out by the beach. Wanna come and hang out there?"

A beach sounded really good to Bella, and if there was a cafe, then her hopes were doubled. Nothing was better then a day at Rikki's cafe, and this seemed the closest thing she would get to it in a long time to come.

"I'd love to!"

**XxXxX**

When David led her into the 'Ocean Cafe', Bella was instantly impressed. The interior design was vibrant and colorful, and there were lots of teenagers, some whom Bella recognized from her side of town, sitting at tables. There was a counter in the middle, and to the right there was a section where there were racks and shelves full of clothes, where a girl with dark hair worked, a girl Bella remembered who was fired from Rikki's.

But the thing she was the most interested in was the stage, with a microphone and guitar positioned in the middle, in front of all the tables and chairs.

"This is just like Rikki's." Bella commented automatically, gazing at the stage in awe.

"What?" David turned his head.

"Nothing." Bella answered quickly. "Just... This place is so much like a cafe near my old home. I used to sing in a band there."

"Really?" David sounded interested. "That's awesome! Well, here, I play the guitar while my uh... girlfriend sings, in front of the audience each night."

That was the moment that a really pretty girl, with very long blonde hair half up with seashell accessories and a pink and blue dress stepped up on to the stage, a huge smile on her face as she talked to a shorter girl with dark brown hair and checked the sound was working on the microphone.

"I hope everyone enjoys the show tonight." the 16 year old girl giggled, as a much taller girl joined them. The trio stood practically huddled together whispering, reminding Bella of Cleo, Rikki and Emma from back home.

"Is that her?" Bella asked David.

A smile lit up David's face, and his brown eyes were shining as his eyes fell on the girl on the stage.

"Yes." he said admiringly, smiling again at Bella before running up to the stage to take his girlfriend's hand.

He led her back to Bella, clearly excited to introduce the girl to her.

"Bella, this is Sirena. Sirena, this is Bella."

Sirena was smiling ecstatically and shaking Bella's hand before she could even react.

"Hi!" Sirena exclaimed. "You're a friend of David's I hear?"

"Um, yes, something like that." Bella nodded, smiling back, though instantly curious at why the girl's name was something like 'Sirena.'. And what was with the seashell hair accessories?

"Guess what," David said excitedly. "Bella sings at a cafe just like you do, back at her home town."

"Oh my gosh, that's so cool!" Sirena's blue eyes lit up and she looked really excited.

"Likewise!" Bella found it difficult to measure up to Sirena's amount of friendliness and enthusiasm. She looked at Sirena's seashell hair clips and starfish earrings. "Hey, I love your hair. And all your ocean themed jewelery. Where'd you buy those?"

Sirena's face fell, still smiling, but less. "Oh...I um, I made them."

David walked away to let them talk.

"Wow! Awesome! And it looks like you used real shells, too!" Bella continued.

"Yeah." Sirena smiled modestly. "Well... it's not like I swam in the ocean to find them, I found them on the beach."

"Of course." Bella responded, her automatically fingering her crystal necklace and thinking of home. She didn't realise it was glowing.

Sirena suddenly looked down at the ring on her finger. The blue stone in it was also lighting up.

There was a moment of silence when Sirena looked at Bella's crystal, and Bella looked at Sirena's ring. It was shaped like a mermaid tail.

"Where... Where did you get that necklace?" Sirena asked, no longer smiling, now staring worriedly at Bella's crystal.

"Erm, I - I - I can't remember. Sorry." Bella responded. Her necklace was now starting to bounce on her chest, being drawn magnetically toward Sirena's ring. She closed her hand around his quickly, and tore it off her neck and put into her pocket.

Sirena put her hand that held the ring behind her back.

"Well, I should be singing now." She said. "Hey - I have an idea! You sing, right? Why don't we do a duet?"

"Sure!" Bella laughed. "That would be... amazing. I really miss singing back home. When I lived with my family."

"Me too." Sirena answered, looking as if she completely understood.

"Really?"

"Uh well, this is my home I mean, but I meant, you know, with my pod and stuff."

"Pod?"

"Did I say pod? Oh, I meant... family. Whoops." Sirena now looked very nervous.

_This girl is a very bad liar,_ Bella thought to herself.

Her necklace felt burning hot inside her pocket, and suddenly, it burst out of the fabric and straight on collided with Sirena's ring. Blue light illuminated the room, the power went out, and everyone turned to look at the sudden flash of moonlight between Bella and Sirena.

**A/N: Hehe, how's that for a cliff hanger? :) Please review! The more support I get, the more motivated I will become to write new chapters!**


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